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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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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: hide · fine · net · kid · shower · degree · safe · rule

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — an amount
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — child
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — all right
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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