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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. net — after costs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — music
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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