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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. firm — a company
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. firm — decided
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. club — for golf
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hand — help
  15. cap — a hat
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hand — in cards
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. firm — steady
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — for sport

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