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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 120 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: mark · field · wind · cap · mouse · chest · race · pass

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — a box
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. race — a contest
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chest — of your body
  17. race — humankind
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — a subject
  24. mouse — for a computer

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