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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. board — to get on
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cold — not warm
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. current — electric
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. board — a committee
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — of water

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