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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. race — the arms race
  8. row — a line
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. kid — child
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — a company
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. firm — steady
  22. kid — to tease
  23. firm — decided
  24. race — a contest

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