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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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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. file — a tool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. field — a subject
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — farmland
  8. kick — in football
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. field — for sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cell — a phone

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