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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: bowl · game · bay · tear · bear · rest · snap · land

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — a break
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. game — a match
  16. land — to come down
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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