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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 116 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 are we going to ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. land — to come down
  2. firm — a company
  3. hand — help
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — steady
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — a trail
  12. object — an aim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — in cards
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. season — of the year
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. firm — decided
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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