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

Word bank: snap · cell · board · stick · bass · fork · can · mate

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a committee
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. bass — low music
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. can — to be able to
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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