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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: current · track · safe · tear · kid · season · roll · chair

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — happening now
  3. chair — a leader
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. track — a song
  8. roll — a cake
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — of water
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. track — a path
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — a list
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — electric
  24. chair — to sit on

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