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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — magic
  8. stem — to come from
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spell — letters

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