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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 124 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — farmland
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. squash — to crush
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitcher — a jug

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