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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: cap · hide · safe · cabinet · snap · swing · bay · wound

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cabinet — ministers

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