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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. root — of a plant
  11. kick — in football
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. scale — in music
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — of a word
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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