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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. key — for a lock
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to click
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. swing — music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. key — in music

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