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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 120 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 · bound · temple · bay · saw · last · snap · tear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tear — to rip
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — a partner
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bound — tied together
  22. last — to go on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. last — final

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