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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — happening now
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — low music
  12. land — ground
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — electric
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. current — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cold — not warm

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