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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rock — music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — farmland
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rule — a law
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. rule — government
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — a stone

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