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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — high quality
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a document
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fine — all right
  13. game — a match
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. file — a tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — a line
  24. field — for sport

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