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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: bat · snap · bay · bear · kid · mouse · lean · firm

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lean — thin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. firm — a company
  14. bear — the animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. firm — decided
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — child
  24. bear — the animal

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