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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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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: squash · pitcher · bass · snap · rest · march · dip · last

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bass — low music
  11. march — music
  12. rest — a break
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — finally
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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