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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. land — a country
  23. current — of water
  24. land — to come down

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