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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. branch — a division
  4. race — humankind
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. march — music
  10. rash — a series
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rash — hasty

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