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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: cold · kid · mine · safe · bulb · mark · current · mate

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — electric
  4. mate — to breed
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — not warm
  7. kid — child
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mate — a partner
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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