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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — happening now
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. field — for sport
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — of water
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. field — a subject
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. current — electric

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