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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. bass — the fish
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a leader
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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