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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · safe · fine · root · drill · land · mate · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a word
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mate — a partner
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fine — high quality
  20. current — of water
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. current — happening now
  24. root — the cause

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