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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — for sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. perch — the fish
  11. field — a subject
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — a committee
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a hat
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — farmland
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cap — a lid

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