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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. field — for sport
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — on your feet
  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