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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. land — a country
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — a trace
  8. current — electric
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — of water
  20. land — to come down
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — to handle
  23. current — happening now
  24. land — ground

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