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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bass — low music
  24. drill — army training

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