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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — a trail
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chip — to eat
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. chip — for betting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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