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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. last — final
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — finally
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. deal — to handle
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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