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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — a song
  4. snap — to click
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — hasty
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. field — a subject
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — a position

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