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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: land · current · rock · last · safe · craft · cell · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — ground
  4. last — to go on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. craft — boats
  8. current — electric
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. last — finally
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. rock — a stone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. land — a country
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. craft — a skill
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — final
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cell — in a prison

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