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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: ground · cell · field · safe · pit · file · dip · kick

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. file — a document
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ground — a position
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kick — in football
  16. file — a tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ground — crushed

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