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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 · mate · chest · temple · band · net · fine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to click
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — all right
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chest — of your body
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chest — a box

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