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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. can — a tin
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — in football
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lie — to recline
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — the amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kick — a thrill

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