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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: mate · rush · dip · scale · snap · safe · spring · bat

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rush — hurry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. spring — a coil

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