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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cold — not warm
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pop — soda
  8. bound — certain
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pop — to visit
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — child
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. net — for catching

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