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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — a series
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — final
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — to go on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. rash — hasty

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