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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. current — of water
  3. fine — all right
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — the cause
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — electric
  14. fine — high quality
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. root — of a word
  17. cap — a hat
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — happening now

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