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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: content · coach · safe · file · field · kid · mine · present

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — farmland
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. file — a document
  8. field — for sport
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mine — for digging
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. content — happy
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — to tease

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