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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. field — a subject
  24. last — finally

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