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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. shower — rain
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — to rip
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — after costs
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. prune — the fruit

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