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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. staff — employees
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — the vegetable

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