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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · coach · safe · net · pitcher · shower

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — after costs
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. shower — rain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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