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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — happening now
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. row — a line
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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