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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: craft · toast · bat · kid · pop · snap · bay · leaves

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — child
  3. pop — music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. craft — boats
  17. pop — soda
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. toast — bread

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