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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: season · mark · safe · pound · rash · net · deal · file

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. file — a document
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. deal — to handle
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a tool
  24. net — for catching

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