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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spring — a coil
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — to eat
  5. content — happy
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — of water
  8. cap — a lid
  9. content — the amount
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chip — for betting
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cap — a hat

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