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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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. court — for sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — to visit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of a king
  24. arm — part of the body

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