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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. field — a subject
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — a partner
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cap — a hat
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. field — farmland
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rush — a thrill
  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