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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · mate · drill · bowl · mug · safe · capital · field

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — a break
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. field — a subject
  12. mug — a face
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mug — a cup
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rest — what's left
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — farmland
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — army training
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — money

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