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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. file — a document
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rash — hasty

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