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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — a list
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — of water
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — in football
  19. court — of law
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bank — of a river

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