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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — a cup
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — of water
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mug — to rob
  24. safe — a strongbox

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