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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of a king
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. court — of law
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — hurry
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. court — for sport

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