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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. drill — army training
  3. shower — rain
  4. current — electric
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. drill — a practice
  8. shower — to wash
  9. roll — a cake
  10. field — a subject
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. current — happening now
  17. drill — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. net — for catching
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — in sport

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