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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 116 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: pit · cold · current · pop · safe · drill · firm · can

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. drill — army training
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — a company
  7. drill — a practice
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. firm — steady
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — electric
  17. pit — in a race
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — happening now
  21. firm — decided
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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