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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. game — wild animals
  5. club — for golf
  6. drill — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — army training
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — a group
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — clever
  24. game — a kind of play

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