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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: fall · pop · cap · safe · field · cue · racket · bear

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — farmland
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pop — music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fall — to drop
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pop — soda
  24. cue — for pool

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