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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — of ice
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. firm — a company
  7. capital — money
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. capital — a city
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — farmland
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ruler — for measuring

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