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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: cold · current · face · game · ruler · last · safe · shower

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. last — final
  6. current — electric
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. last — finally
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. current — happening now
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. current — of water
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — rain
  21. cold — not warm
  22. face — to point toward
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — to confront

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