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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. current — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — for golf
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. net — in sport
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spell — letters
  15. current — happening now
  16. fork — in a road
  17. current — electric
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — a group

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