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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fall — the season
  4. charge — in control
  5. field — for sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — happy
  12. rule — government
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rule — a law
  15. field — a subject
  16. charge — a price
  17. cap — of ice
  18. content — the amount
  19. charge — electricity
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cap — a lid
  24. key — in music

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