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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — to paddle
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. net — in sport
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — of a king
  13. key — the most important part
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. row — a line
  19. net — for catching
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  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