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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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468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. content — happy
  7. land — ground
  8. spring — of water
  9. mate — to breed
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — for sport
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. kick — in football
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — farmland
  24. mouse — the animal

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