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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: pitcher · row · land · leaves · safe · degree · cabinet · net

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. net — after costs
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — in sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — to come down
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — a country
  20. row — a line
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. safe — out of danger

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