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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 116 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: drill · chair · game · dip · safe · current · stick · wind

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — happening now
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. drill — army training
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — a practice

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