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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — a trail

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