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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.

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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: bat · current · safe · shower · pitcher · straw · row · content

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — to wash
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. current — electric
  14. row — a line
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bat — in an idiom

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