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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — farmland
  3. cap — a lid
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — a subject
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. scale — in music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pound — a weight
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wake — a trail

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