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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. net — for catching
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pound — a weight
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stem — to come from
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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