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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to click
  7. cap — of ice
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — a hat
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. firm — steady
  23. fall — to drop
  24. firm — a company

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