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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. shower — to wash
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — army training
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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