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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.

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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: bowl · date · current · safe · bat · craft · field · bulb

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — for sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bat — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — out of danger
  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