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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a friend
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — the earth
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. can — to be able to
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — a subject
  20. net — in sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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