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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — low music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a document
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — a phone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. file — a tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bass — the fish

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