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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — for a lock
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. key — in music
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — a trainer

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