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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: stand · squash · net · safe · swing · cell · hide · cue

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — a hint
  19. net — for catching
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cue — for pool

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