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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — a series
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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