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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — for sport
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cue — a signal
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cue — a hint
  21. dip — to sink
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — farmland

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