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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. court — of a king
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. spell — letters
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — in football
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — a hat

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