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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. race — a contest
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fine — all right
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — farmland

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