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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: hand · chest · safe · mark · pass · roll · rush · saw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. hand — in cards
  8. roll — a list
  9. rush — hurry
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — help

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