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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
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: pitcher · field · wound · chair · mate · saw · safe · lean

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mate — a friend
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — a subject
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lean — thin

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