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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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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: mug · cap · race · wind · bound · field · racket · staff

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — certain
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. cap — a lid
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mug — to rob
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — a cup

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