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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. content — happy
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — the amount
  7. fine — all right
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. field — farmland
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fine — high quality

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