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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. drill — army training
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. net — after costs
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. squash — to crush
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. mug — a face
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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