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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: safe · snap · toast · mug · kid · bank · game · hand

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — child
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mug — a face
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. toast — bread
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — a cup
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mug — to rob

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