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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.

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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 · swing · sharp · rush · cell · wound · safe · coach

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — after costs
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cell — a phone

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