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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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 click
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rash — a series
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rash — hasty
  24. game — a match

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