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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. scale — in music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — government
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. snap — to click
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — a law
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — size or range
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — to rule out

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