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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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Word bank
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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 · suit · squash · snap · content · straw · leaves · last

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. suit — to fit
  17. last — final
  18. snap — to click
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. suit — clothes
  24. content — the amount

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