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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — temperature
  21. can — a tin
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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