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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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spell — letters
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to click
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — happy
  9. rush — hurry
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tube — a container
  21. spell — magic
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for golf

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