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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a friend
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. safe — out of danger

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