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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 124 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to click
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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