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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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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: game · ruler · safe · drill · spring · hand · snap · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — army training
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. drill — a practice
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — the season
  19. game — a match
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spring — a coil
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. ruler — for measuring

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