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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — of water
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lie — to recline
  16. field — a subject
  17. bank — for money
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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