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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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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: march · last · nail · hand · safe · rule · current · pit

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — government
  5. last — to go on
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a hole
  10. last — final
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. current — of water
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. march — music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pit — in a race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — help

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