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

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — a song
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — for digging
  20. current — of water
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chair — a leader
  24. current — electric

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