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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · rush · scale · mine · racket · field · cell · rest

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. field — for sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — in biology
  10. field — a subject
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. field — farmland
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. scale — in music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — a break
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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