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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: bay · court · snap · spring · tear · mug · mark · squash

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mug — a cup
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. court — of law
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — a face
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to click
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — for sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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