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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. scale — in music
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to click
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a hole
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — an illness
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. kid — child
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — of a river
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kid — to tease

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