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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — all right
  11. dip — to sink
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — a subject
  16. can — to be able to
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fine — high quality

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