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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — a subject
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cap — a hat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — farmland
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a match

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