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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. land — ground
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fall — the season
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — to come down
  15. bass — low music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — of your body
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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