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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. net — after costs
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a hat
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bound — tied together
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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