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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · game · current · cell · safe · kick

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — electric
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — in football
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. game — a match
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — happening now
  18. kick — a thrill

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