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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.

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: game · row · cold · leaves · bear · net · lash · safe

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — to paddle
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. row — a line
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cold — an illness
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. net — for catching
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. game — a match
  24. leaves — to go away

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