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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — a subject
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — farmland
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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