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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: safe · coach · racket · bore · kid · cell · net · press

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — after costs
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. safe — out of danger

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