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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. file — a document
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — of water
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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