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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: mark · land · net · chair · date · safe · field · trunk

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — for sport
  3. land — to come down
  4. field — a subject
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — farmland
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. net — after costs
  12. mark — a grade
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. safe — a strongbox

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