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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. season — of the year
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — a subject
  15. cell — in biology
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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