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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — army training
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cue — a hint
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cue — a signal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cue — for pool
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — in sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — a thrill

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