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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — the underground
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. firm — a company
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. field — a subject
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a document
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — to breed
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — a partner
  24. firm — steady

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