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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. current — electric
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. current — of water
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. current — happening now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bulb — of a plant

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