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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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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: safe · game · snap · wound · dip · club · mate · stick

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — wild animals
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — a group
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. snap — to click
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — a match
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — a sauce

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