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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — money
  11. field — a subject
  12. capital — a city
  13. field — for sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. chair — a professorship

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