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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. snap — to click
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — a coil
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. mark — a trace
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cabinet — ministers

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