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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rule — a law
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bass — low music
  9. rule — government
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — finally
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. band — a ring
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mug — a face
  21. game — a match
  22. last — final
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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