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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. cold — not warm
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. charge — in control
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. charge — a price
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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