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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · safe · cell · dip · net · pop · season · fine

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — for catching
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. net — in sport
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fine — high quality
  10. season — of the year
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. kid — child
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — after costs
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — to tease
  24. dip — to sink

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