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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. snap — to click
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pound — a weight
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. swing — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. squash — to crush
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fork — in a road
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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