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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a music group
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — to crush
  16. band — a ring
  17. field — farmland
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — size or range
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stand — to bear

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