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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — to come from
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — in football
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — to add flavour

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