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

Word bank: can · perch · race · cell · field · pit · safe · plane

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — a tin
  11. field — farmland
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. race — humankind
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. can — to be able to
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cell — in biology
  24. perch — for a bird

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