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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — happening now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. current — electric
  7. court — of law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. chest — of your body
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chest — a box
  22. court — of a king
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — for light

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