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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · field · ground · face · bass · wake · suit · cold

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. face — to confront
  8. ground — crushed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — to fit
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — for sport
  24. suit — clothes

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