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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 · bay · deal · net · calf · pass · cold · pop

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — for catching
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. calf — of the leg

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