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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — a country
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — farmland
  20. ground — a position
  21. field — a subject
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fan — to cool the air

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