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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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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: snap · safe · shower · drill · stick · chest · rush · fall

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — a practice
  5. snap — to click
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — army training
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fall — the season
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — hurry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chest — a box
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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