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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a lid
  8. foot — a measure
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. plane — in geometry

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