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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.

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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: bank · bass · cell · snap · mark · pitcher · race · squash

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to click
  11. race — a contest
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bass — low music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. race — humankind

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