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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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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: calf · drill · last · degree · mine · suit · snap · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. last — final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. suit — in cards
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — an amount
  23. suit — clothes
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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