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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — to breed
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. field — for sport
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mate — a friend
  13. branch — a division
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. field — a subject
  16. race — humankind
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kick — in football
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. race — a contest
  24. kick — a thrill

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