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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. row — to paddle
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a line
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bass — the fish
  15. current — of water
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — clever
  18. snap — to click
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — electric
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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