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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · hide · safe · deal · spell · hand · key · field

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — for a lock
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — to handle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. rest — what's left

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