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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 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — of water
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mug — a face
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. race — a contest
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — electric
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. race — humankind

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