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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: drill · rush · net · mine · cap · deal · season · safe

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — in sport
  6. cap — a hat
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. season — of the year
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — after costs
  23. cap — of ice
  24. net — in sport

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