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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 116 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 · snap · swing · bay · staff · mark · cold · fall

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fall — the season
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. staff — employees
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — in golf
  11. staff — a stick
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cold — not warm
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mark — a grade
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — a partner
  22. snap — to click
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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