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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — of ice
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. snap — to click
  17. chest — a box
  18. suit — in cards
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bass — low 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