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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. court — for sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — not warm
  6. current — electric
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cold — an illness
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — a contest
  15. current — of water
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — to drill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. court — of law
  21. current — happening now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. court — of a king

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