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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: bound · chair · temple · tear · safe · suit · degree · net

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. suit — clothes
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bound — certain
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tear — to rip
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. degree — from a university
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. suit — in cards
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — from crying

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