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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spring — of water
  4. deal — to handle
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — a coil
  13. degree — temperature
  14. firm — a company
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. firm — decided
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. firm — steady
  21. dip — to sink
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — an amount

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