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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: kid · snap · roll · press · mouse · bay · date · fork

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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. kid — to tease
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — child
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a list
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — to push
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. snap — to click
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a cake

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