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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — shares
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. object — to protest
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — the sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — goods
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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