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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hand — in cards
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. field — farmland
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — help
  14. face — to confront
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cell — in biology
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — to point toward
  22. field — for sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. race — the arms race

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