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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to click
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bank — for money
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — a straw man

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