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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. spring — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — final
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. snap — to click
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — the season
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. last — finally
  23. net — in sport
  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