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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. current — of water
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cap — a lid
  16. date — the fruit
  17. current — electric
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a music group
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. game — a kind of play

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