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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: pop · rest · last · ruler · stick · snap · bass · chair

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to click
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — finally
  15. bass — the fish
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rest — a break
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pop — soda
  22. bass — low music
  23. pop — music
  24. rest — what's left

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