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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — soda
  4. field — a subject
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pop — music
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — to bear
  17. march — music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — farmland
  21. cue — for pool
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. pop — to visit

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