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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — the most important part
  5. field — a subject
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — to tease
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — child
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bass — low music
  18. field — farmland
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — the instrument

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