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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — happening now
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — of ice
  7. current — electric
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cap — a hat
  11. scale — size or range
  12. last — final
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hand — in cards
  23. current — of water
  24. saw — the tool

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