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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — to push
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — a group
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cap — of ice

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