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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — a group
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cold — not warm
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — an illness
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mate — a partner
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. snap — to click
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. club — for golf
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. safe — a strongbox

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