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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. net — in sport
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — to go on
  24. spring — the season

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