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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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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 · snap · current · degree · deal · chest · cue · last

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cue — a signal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — to go on
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — from a university
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. current — happening now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. current — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. current — electric
  24. last — final

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