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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.

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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ball — a dance
  6. field — a subject
  7. ball — a great time
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — a tin
  11. field — for sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — farmland

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