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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — certain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. deal — to handle

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