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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a hat
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a line of people
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a trace
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a ring
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wake — before a funeral

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