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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: wake · racket · field · land · rule · lash · bay · snap

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — to come down
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rule — government
  10. field — a subject
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. land — a country
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rule — a law
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. land — ground

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