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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — a path
  18. stem — to come from
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rule — a law
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — for sport
  24. season — of the year

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