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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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. rash — hasty
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to click
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — a trail
  14. file — a tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. race — a contest
  24. file — a line of people

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