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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. mate — a friend
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — help
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — temperature
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — to breed
  19. current — electric
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — rain
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mate — a partner

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