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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 116 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: net · field · firm · safe · mouse · mug · cap · snap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — decided
  4. mug — a face
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — a subject
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. firm — a company
  14. field — for sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. cap — a lid
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mug — to rob
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — for catching
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to click

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