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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. field — for sport
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — a subject
  11. toast — bread
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. race — humankind
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — farmland
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kick — in football
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chair — a leader

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