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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — in cards
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. season — in sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — a subject
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — to come down
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rest — a break
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bear — to put up with

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