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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to click
  11. lean — thin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. drill — the tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lean — to bend
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — part of the body

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