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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rule — a law
  14. suit — to fit
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lean — to bend
  17. suit — in cards
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rule — government
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. snap — to click
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com