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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. firm — decided
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. firm — steady
  13. cap — a hat
  14. scale — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — a trainer

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