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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · pit · wind · snap · rest · foot · spring · bay

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. spring — of water
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — to protest
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — what's left
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. object — a thing
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — in a race

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