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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — in cards
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — in sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — help
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. root — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — to play on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. vault — a safe
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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