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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — to come down
  3. snap — to click
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chair — a leader
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hand — in cards
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mark — a trace

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