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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — to bear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — completely
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. field — for sport
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. field — farmland
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — a subject

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