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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. kick — in football
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. pit — a hole
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kick — a thrill

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