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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — for sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. band — a ring
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. saw — the tool
  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