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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — in music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — a lid
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kick — in football
  17. can — a tin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — for digging
  21. field — farmland
  22. key — for a lock
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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