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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. fall — to drop
  3. staff — employees
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — of water
  15. march — the month
  16. current — electric
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — music
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — happening now
  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