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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. rest — a break
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — to tease
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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