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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. firm — a company
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. firm — steady
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cell — a phone
  13. firm — decided
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — in music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — in biology
  24. key — the most important part

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