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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. mate — a partner
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a document
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — electric
  11. track — a path
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — of water
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — to keep track
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. season — of the year
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fan — a supporter
  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