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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rule — a law
  5. net — after costs
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — for catching
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. safe — out of danger

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