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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stock — shares
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — goods
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — low music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cold — not warm

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