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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. field — a subject
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rest — a break
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — farmland
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cap — a hat
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cap — a lid
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mug — a face
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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