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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — to handle
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — electric
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — from a university
  8. race — a contest
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. present — there
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. present — a gift
  18. current — happening now
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — humankind
  24. degree — temperature

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