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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — for sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stand — to bear
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cap — a lid
  15. drill — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. key — the most important part
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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