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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. land — a country
  17. field — farmland
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — ground

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