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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: toast · spell · cap · snap · chair · bowl · bore · bay

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cap — of ice
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cap — a hat
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — letters
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. chair — a leader

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