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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a grade
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — a subject
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a match
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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