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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: file · bear · ground · field · mark · cap · pit · chair

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ground — crushed
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — a position
  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