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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cap — a lid
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. field — farmland
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — of ice
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. field — for sport

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