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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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. snap — to click
  3. firm — a company
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — an illness
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cold — not warm
  11. firm — steady
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. firm — decided
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — there
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. band — a music group
  22. present — a gift
  23. swing — music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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