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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — of water
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. current — electric
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. land — to come down
  17. scale — in music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — happening now
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a match
  24. land — ground

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