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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. snap — to click
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bound — certain
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rock — a stone
  18. object — a thing
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. object — an aim

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