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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — magic
  9. rule — government
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rule — a law
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. vault — a safe
  18. field — for sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — a subject
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — for digging

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