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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: net · game · stand · safe · cold · drill · tube · can

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. drill — army training
  2. net — after costs
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — an illness
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — a tin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — a practice
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stand — to bear
  23. can — to be able to
  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