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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fall — the season
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. field — a subject
  20. board — a committee
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — an untruth

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