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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — a subject
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hand — in cards
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — help
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. field — for sport

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