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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: safe · cell · straw · field · season · kick · cap · deal

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. season — in sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cell — in biology
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — in football
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — of the year
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. field — a subject

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