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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — finally
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. current — of water
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. current — happening now
  11. last — final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. current — electric
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — to keep track
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — a song
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — to drop

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