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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. land — ground
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitch — completely
  18. field — for sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — to come down

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