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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. plane — a tool
  5. hand — help
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — to get on
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — to bear
  15. current — happening now
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a ring
  24. plane — in geometry

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