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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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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — electric
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — size or range
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — a match
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. scale — in music
  24. current — happening now

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