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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. cue — for pool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — the season
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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