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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · trunk · club · rest · cue · pop · cap · field

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — for golf
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cue — a signal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — a break
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. cue — a hint

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