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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — to go on
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. current — of water
  11. last — finally
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. last — final
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. game — wild animals
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — music
  23. current — electric
  24. rock — to move gently

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