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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. deal — to handle
  8. key — the most important part
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pop — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. key — in music
  16. court — for sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — of law

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