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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — farmland
  10. net — for catching
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — music
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — a box
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — after costs
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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