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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. snap — to click
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. can — to be able to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — to protest
  12. can — a tin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — a thing
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cold — an illness
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — an aim
  23. safe — out of danger
  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