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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — to recline
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — of water
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. court — of a king
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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