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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — happening now
  4. rush — hurry
  5. current — of water
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. current — electric
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — on the skin

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