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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — for sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — a law
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — low music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — of ice
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rule — government
  19. field — farmland
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — the fish
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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