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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — a subject
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — the most important part
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — farmland
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. field — for sport
  20. land — ground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — in football

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