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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a face
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — letters
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a cup
  24. dip — to dunk

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