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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. snap — to click
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — in football
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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