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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. field — for sport
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — a subject
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — farmland
  22. rule — government
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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