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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · fan · racket · fine · safe · snap · patient · chest

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — high quality
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — all right
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — final
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chest — a box
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. safe — a strongbox

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