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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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — clever
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. field — a subject
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. field — for sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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