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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.

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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — in football
  5. spring — a coil
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spell — magic
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — letters
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kick — a thrill

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