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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. mark — a trace
  3. drill — army training
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mark — a grade
  19. land — a country
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — a practice
  23. swing — in golf
  24. tear — to rip

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