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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. roll — a cake
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. drill — army training
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. craft — boats
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — of water
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — happening now
  20. roll — a list
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bass — low music

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