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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a path
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — to come from
  9. current — of water
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — a match
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — electric
  17. clip — a video
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. track — a song

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