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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. field — for sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. field — a subject
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fine — all right
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a friend

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