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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — for catching
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. staff — employees
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. staff — employees
  10. rule — government
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rule — a law
  17. kid — child
  18. dip — to sink
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — a stick
  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