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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — farmland
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — to be able to
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. staff — a stick
  24. field — a subject

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