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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — electric
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fine — all right
  17. swing — to play on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — music
  21. fine — high quality
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — belonging to me

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