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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He took the fish out 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. bank — of a river
  2. net — after costs
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bank — for money
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bank — for money
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — rain
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — for catching
  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