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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — to recline
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. field — for sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. hand — help
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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