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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: mug · deal · snap · key · cell · shower · squash · bass

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. snap — to click
  7. shower — rain
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. key — for a lock
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. squash — to crush
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cell — a phone
  24. key — in 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