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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 · net · saw · kid · wound · bass · rule · snap

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to click
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — government
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. net — after costs
  24. kid — child

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