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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 — for sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. key — for a lock
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. key — in music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mine — an explosive
  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