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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: snap · court · bay · fall · pit · rest · saw · wind

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to click
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rest — a break
  24. fall — the season

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