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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 124 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spring — of water
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cell — a phone
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. firm — steady
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — a match
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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