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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — a gift
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. snap — to click
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. land — a country
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — the time now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. land — to come down
  20. hand — help
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — ground
  24. fall — the season

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