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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cap — a lid
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cap — a hat
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — a box
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — obliged

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