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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. object — to protest
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ground — a position
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — a permit
  18. object — a thing
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. drill — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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