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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. drill — a practice
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cap — a lid
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. drill — army training
  19. row — a line
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cap — of ice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — a hat
  24. row — to paddle

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