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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. current — electric
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitch — completely
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kick — in football
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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