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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to click
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. toast — bread
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spell — magic
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mug — to rob
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spell — a short time
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. saw — the tool

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