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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: pass · straw · calf · snap · bay · toast · court · rest

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. court — for sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. toast — bread
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. court — of law
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — the most admired

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