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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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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: suit · pitcher · race · game · bass · snap · spring · saw

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — clothes
  12. race — a contest
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. saw — the tool
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. suit — in cards
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  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