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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of law
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. current — happening now
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — there
  9. mine — for digging
  10. present — a gift
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. cold — an illness

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