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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — for sport
  5. cell — in biology
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a dance
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — final
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stock — shares

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