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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. current — happening now
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pop — to visit
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pop — soda
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — music
  21. current — electric
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. safe — a strongbox

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