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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: saw · game · land · safe · current · face · field · row

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — to paddle
  3. land — a country
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to point toward
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — a line
  14. field — farmland
  15. current — electric
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — ground
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. safe — a strongbox

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