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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. content — the amount
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — for betting
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. band — a music group
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — happy
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. field — a subject

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