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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — a country
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — to get on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — ground
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. board — a committee
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. land — to come down
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. present — a gift

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