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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 116 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: hide · bat · field · safe · wave · fork · ground · bay

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ground — crushed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — farmland
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — a subject
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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