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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cell — in biology
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. band — a ring
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. season — in sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. craft — a skill
  13. scale — in music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. craft — boats
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cap — of ice
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. current — of water
  24. band — a music group

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