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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — for sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of a king
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of law

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