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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: court · wake · fan · mug · stick · safe · net · dip

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mug — to rob
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mug — a face
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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