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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: current · bowl · season · fork · rest · chest · safe · last

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. last — final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — electric
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. season — in sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chest — a box
  24. safe — out of danger

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