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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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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: pit · cap · chest · date · club · field · cabinet · wave

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cap — of ice
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — for golf
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. club — a group
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — a box
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — of your body
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pit — in a race

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