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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — in sport
  8. current — of water
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. season — of the year
  14. current — happening now
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — a box
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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