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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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. chair — to sit on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lean — thin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — ground
  24. lean — to rest against

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