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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. deal — to handle
  18. last — finally
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rush — hurry
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bark — of a tree

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