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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — for sport
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a document
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — happening now
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — obliged

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