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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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. clip — for paper
  5. net — after costs
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mark — a trace
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stand — to bear
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — to cut
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cold — an illness

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