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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — of the year
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cue — for pool
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chair — a leader
  22. season — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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