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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. mug — a face
  4. root — the cause
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — a practice
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. race — a contest
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — army training
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. race — humankind
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — of a word
  24. mug — a cup

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