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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. game — a match
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bear — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ball — a great time
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. current — of water
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — of ice
  23. current — electric
  24. cap — a lid

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