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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — for sport
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — a subject
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — farmland
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — a thing
  17. track — a path
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — soda
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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