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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. shower — to wash
  4. row — a line
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to click
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. craft — a skill
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — rain
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chip — for betting
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — to eat
  24. season — in sport

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