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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — to tease
  7. court — of law
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — of water
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wake — a trail
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — for catching
  21. row — a line
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to click
  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