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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. current — happening now
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to click
  18. rush — hurry
  19. current — of water
  20. kick — in football
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a match
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. game — wild animals

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