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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hand — help
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — an aim
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. object — a thing
  24. wound — an injury

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