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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — employees
  4. cold — not warm
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mug — a face
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mug — a cup
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. current — electric
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bowl — a football final

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