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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. season — of the year
  6. charge — electricity
  7. snap — to click
  8. charge — in control
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. charge — a price
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — the fish
  23. season — in sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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