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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — for sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. field — a subject
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — farmland
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — of ice
  24. board — a flat piece

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