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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — a series
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. clip — a video
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — to cut
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — for paper

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