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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 124 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. band — a music group
  3. bass — the fish
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. snap — to click
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. suit — in cards
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — in music

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