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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — there
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — a country
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — of ice
  15. present — a gift
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — a subject
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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