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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: rest · foot · roll · march · field · bowl · cap · toast

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — a cake
  14. march — the month
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. roll — a list
  19. field — farmland
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. field — a subject

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