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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spring — of water
  12. roll — a cake
  13. snap — to click
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — a series
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. toast — bread

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