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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. field — for sport
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — of ice

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