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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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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: kick · net · mug · fall · safe · chair · present · craft

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. present — a gift
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. present — the time now
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. present — there
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. craft — boats
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a leader
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. chair — to sit on

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