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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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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — final
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. last — to go on
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — the season
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chair — a professorship

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