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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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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: last · mate · bass · kick · spell · snap · present · bear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. spell — letters
  3. present — there
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. last — final
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — a gift
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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