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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. current — electric
  7. bore — to drill
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — a match
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — the season
  18. bass — low music
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — in music
  22. current — of water
  23. ground — crushed
  24. scale — size or range

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