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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · mate · mine · snap · safe · fine · patient · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — for digging
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — all right
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — a friend
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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