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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. current — electric
  2. sharp — clever
  3. current — of water
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. land — a country
  15. pass — a permit
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. land — to come down
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — ground
  23. arm — part of the body
  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