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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. current — happening now
  13. mate — a friend
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cold — not warm

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