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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 124 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: pop · current · safe · wound · can · face · race · chip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — humankind
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — to eat
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to confront
  11. current — happening now
  12. race — a contest
  13. pop — music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. race — the arms race
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. current — electric
  24. chip — for betting

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