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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 120 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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — a stone
  7. perch — the fish
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mark — a trace
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. rock — music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. field — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — a grade

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