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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: net · key · safe · arm · date · squash · racket · shower

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. squash — the sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. key — for a lock
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — rain
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — for catching
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. date — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — to crush
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — in sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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