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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — for betting
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — a quarrel

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