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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 120 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
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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 · cell · pass · mine · pop · safe · season · mouse

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. season — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. current — of water
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. current — electric

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