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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kick — in football
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fall — the season
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bass — low music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — the fruit

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