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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — a subject
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. field — for sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a song
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. track — a path
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. track — to keep track

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