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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — after costs
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — a practice
  10. net — for catching
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — of water
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a path
  23. craft — a skill
  24. track — a song

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