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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: safe · net · squash · calf · degree · fine · land · wake

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wake — a trail
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — a country
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — temperature
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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