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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: race · safe · hand · current · field · bulb · net · drill

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. race — humankind
  20. hand — in cards
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. safe — a strongbox

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