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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fall — to drop
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. current — happening now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pop — soda
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — music
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. last — finally
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. current — electric
  23. pitch — completely
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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