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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 124 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pound — a weight
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — magic
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to click
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. safe — out of danger

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