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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kid — to tease
  3. snap — to click
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kid — child
  6. bat — the animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — happening now
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — of water
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — part of the body

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