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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: current · fan · rash · squash · safe · clip · key · bat

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — the most important part
  3. current — of water
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. squash — the sport
  8. clip — to cut
  9. squash — to crush
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — in music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — for a lock
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — electric
  24. clip — for paper

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