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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cue — a hint
  5. land — a country
  6. field — farmland
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — obliged
  10. land — to come down
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cap — of ice
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. object — to protest
  23. cue — a signal
  24. shower — to wash

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