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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 water is too ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — a company
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — steady
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cue — a signal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — decided
  20. cell — in biology
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  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