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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: root · scale · safe · net · cap · foot · cold · bat

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — of a word
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. scale — in music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. root — the cause
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. root — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cap — a hat

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