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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to click
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chest — a box
  8. swing — music
  9. capital — money
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — the season
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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