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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — a subject
  5. cold — an illness
  6. kid — child
  7. present — the time now
  8. craft — a skill
  9. present — a gift
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. content — the amount
  14. present — there
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cold — not warm
  22. content — happy
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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