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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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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: row · fine · spell · content · present · cap · club · field

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — the time now
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — magic
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — happy
  16. field — farmland
  17. club — for golf
  18. present — there
  19. field — for sport
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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