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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mark — a grade
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. snap — to click
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tube — a container
  24. safe — out of danger

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