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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — magic
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. land — to come down
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. snap — to click
  24. land — a country

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