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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. land — to come down
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — a country
  7. current — electric
  8. object — an aim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — of water
  12. object — to protest
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — of the year
  16. object — a thing
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — in sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mine — for digging
  24. safe — out of danger

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