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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — of the year
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — to handle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — electric
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — the tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. drill — army training

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