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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — size or range
  3. charge — in control
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. root — of a word
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — in sport
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. row — a line
  15. root — of a plant
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — the cause
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  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