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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. field — a subject
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. object — a thing
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. field — farmland
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. arm — part of the body

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