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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — to shout
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — after costs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — a line
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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