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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: hand · pit · hide · snap · coach · safe · last · wake

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — finally
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — final
  17. snap — to click
  18. hand — help
  19. last — to go on
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hand — in cards
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. hide — animal skin

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