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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cue — a signal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — ground
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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