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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. club — for golf
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. club — for dancing
  5. field — farmland
  6. file — a line of people
  7. club — a group
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cap — a hat
  15. field — a subject
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. field — for sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cap — a lid

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