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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — music
  5. toast — bread
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. swing — in golf
  22. charge — in control
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rock — a stone

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