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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: mate · row · bay · present · drill · pass · snap · squash

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — a line
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — the tool
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. present — a gift
  17. row — to paddle
  18. snap — to click
  19. mate — to breed
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — there
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pass — to succeed

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