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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — farmland
  4. cold — an illness
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — not warm
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — high quality
  16. club — for dancing
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — of ice
  20. foot — a measure
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — a hat

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