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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 120 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 · rush · spell · pass · arm · rest · pop · field

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — farmland
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — soda
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pop — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — magic

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