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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · chair · cold · snap · bass · roll · mug · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bass — low music
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rush — hurry
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. roll — a list
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — a face
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cold — an illness
  24. roll — a cake

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