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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. last — final
  14. snap — to click
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — to come from
  24. temple — a place of worship

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