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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: wind · date · safe · current · mate · board · field · kid

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kid — to tease
  4. field — farmland
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — child
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — for sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mate — to breed
  24. board — to get on

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