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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ground — a position
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — a friend
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — shares
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mate — to breed

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