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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pop — soda
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. foot — a measure

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