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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kick — in football
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — ground
  6. court — of a king
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. firm — a company
  10. land — a country
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. firm — decided
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. current — of water
  24. court — of law

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