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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · fall · land · cold · lie · safe · staff

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. land — ground
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. land — to come down
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. land — a country
  11. current — happening now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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