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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — happy
  5. deal — to handle
  6. field — farmland
  7. roll — a cake
  8. march — the month
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — of the year
  14. march — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cap — a hat
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. field — a subject
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. march — the month
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — in sport

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