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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bound — tied together
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. fine — all right
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. current — happening now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bat — the animal
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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