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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · safe · spring · net · cell · date · rash · scale

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — after costs
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. net — in sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spring — of water
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — a phone

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