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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. ground — a position
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — a subject
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cap — of ice
  22. land — to come down
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cap — a lid

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