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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. firm — steady
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — soda
  7. game — a match
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — of water
  22. firm — a company
  23. game — wild animals
  24. firm — decided

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