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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. bass — the fish
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — the season
  7. suit — clothes
  8. present — the time now
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bore — to tire
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to drill
  21. present — a gift
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bore — gave birth

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