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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chest — a box
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — crushed
  7. field — a subject
  8. fine — all right
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stem — of a plant

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