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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — a lid
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — for sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  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