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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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Word bank
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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 · pop · bay · pitcher · foot · date · bank · last

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bank — of a river
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. date — on the calendar

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