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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.

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: bass · snap · rock · fork · hand · pitch · present · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bass — low music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. present — there
  8. rock — a stone
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. present — a gift
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rush — to hurry

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