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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stand — to bear
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. cold — an illness
  22. shower — to wash
  23. snap — to click
  24. vault — a safe

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