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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. court — of a king
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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