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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stem — to come from
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. field — farmland

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