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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — a tin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. can — to be able to
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — rain
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — a face
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mug — to rob
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lie — an untruth

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