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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. last — final
  3. rush — hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. last — finally
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mate — a partner
  15. snap — to click
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. safe — out of danger

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