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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — for sport
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. current — electric
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — farmland
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — a short time
  17. season — in sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — in biology
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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