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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to drill
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — a video
  18. current — electric
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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