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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: mouse · mug · safe · cold · ground · ball · net · date

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — a face
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ball — a dance
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — not warm
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ground — a position
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a great time
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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