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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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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: field · cold · snap · cabinet · safe · deal · wound · pitcher

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — an injury
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — out of danger

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