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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pop — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — for pool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — to visit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. object — a thing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cue — a signal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. object — an aim
  20. cold — not warm
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — soda

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