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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. land — to come down
  13. snap — to click
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. land — ground

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