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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kid — to tease
  10. snap — to click
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lie — to recline
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — in a road

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