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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: date · pit · snap · season · pop · bass · cell · object

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. object — an aim
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pop — soda
  12. pit — in a race
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. object — to protest
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. object — a thing
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. season — in sport
  24. snap — to click

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