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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. deal — to handle
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — for sport
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — of law
  20. cell — a phone
  21. court — of a king
  22. cell — in biology
  23. toast — bread
  24. wind — moving air

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