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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. march — the month
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. key — in music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. snap — to click
  15. key — for a lock
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wind — moving air
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. march — the month

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