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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: foot · tear · rule · band · bay · snap · last · pitcher

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tear — from crying
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — to rip
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — final
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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