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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — to visit
  5. field — a subject
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. root — of a word
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — soda
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. court — of a king
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — farmland
  23. fine — all right
  24. pop — 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