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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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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: mark · cold · rule · saw · current · ball · safe · fork

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — not warm
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. current — happening now
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rule — government
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — a law

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