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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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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — of water
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ground — crushed
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — the earth
  13. current — happening now
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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