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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a hat
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitch — completely

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