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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. current — happening now
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. current — electric
  17. game — wild animals
  18. roll — a list
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — of water
  21. present — there
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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