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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: row · last · saw · safe · field · wake · land · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — a country
  12. field — farmland
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — a line
  16. land — to come down
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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