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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — a break
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a ring
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — what's left
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fine — all right
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — a video
  19. band — a music group
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — for paper

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