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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — child
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. net — in sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — after costs

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