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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — of water
  20. rule — a law
  21. current — happening now
  22. rule — government
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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