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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.

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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: rule · snap · deal · bass · mug · mouse · content · hand

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rule — government
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rule — a law
  5. snap — to click
  6. content — the amount
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mug — a face
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — in cards

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