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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mug — a face
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mug — a cup
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. net — after costs
  15. spring — the season
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pass — a permit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spring — a coil

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