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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. track — a song
  20. cap — a lid
  21. net — for catching
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — electric

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