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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mug — a cup
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. spell — magic
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — letters
  17. mug — to rob
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mug — a face
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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