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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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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: safe · shower · arm · net · rule · stick · cold · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — for catching
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — rain
  5. rule — a law
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — after costs
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — in sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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