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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — a subject
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rule — government
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. field — for sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — to come from
  20. capital — a city
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — happy
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — a big letter

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