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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 116 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.

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: can · bass · suit · pound · spell · snap · court · rest

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. can — to be able to
  4. suit — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pound — a weight
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. court — of law
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. suit — to fit
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — of a king
  24. rest — a break

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