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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — not warm
  4. firm — steady
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — a subject
  22. drill — army training
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bowl — a dish

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