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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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ground — the earth
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stand — to bear
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. field — a subject
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. season — in sport

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