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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cue — a hint
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — farmland
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. cue — for pool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — soda
  24. squash — the 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