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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. current — of water
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. march — music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. current — electric
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — in sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. current — happening now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kick — in football

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