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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — to rob
  9. field — a subject
  10. mug — a face
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — all right
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. mark — a trace
  20. scale — size or range
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. fine — high quality
  24. scale — in music

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