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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pit — in a race
  5. field — a subject
  6. pit — a hole
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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