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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · snap · wake · sharp · bass · row · firm · chair

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — a trail
  6. row — to paddle
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — low music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. land — ground
  19. snap — to click
  20. firm — a company
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — clever

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