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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kick — in football
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. current — electric
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. current — happening now

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