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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — of the year
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — to eat
  14. field — a subject
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — for sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — army training
  21. stock — goods
  22. suit — to fit
  23. drill — a practice
  24. field — farmland

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