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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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