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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: snap · wake · row · content · date · bay · racket · mouse

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. row — a line
  12. content — happy
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — a trail
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. date — the fruit
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — a horse colour

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