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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. kick — in football
  5. mug — to rob
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bass — low music
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a face
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. snap — to click
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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