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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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