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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. band — a ring
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. band — a music group
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — farmland
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — a friend
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. safe — a strongbox

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