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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a hat
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — to keep secret

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