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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. vault — a safe
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. rest — what's left
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bass — low music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rest — a break
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to click
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a quarrel

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