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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. court — for sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — farmland
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. field — a subject
  21. court — of law
  22. pitch — completely
  23. club — for golf
  24. stem — to come from

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