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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. kid — to tease
  6. drill — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pop — soda
  11. stand — to bear
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pop — music
  20. drill — army training
  21. current — electric
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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