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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — a company
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. firm — decided
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. clip — to cut
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a match
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. firm — steady
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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