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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — a container
  3. current — of water
  4. drill — a practice
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cap — a lid
  8. row — a line
  9. swing — music
  10. track — a path
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — the tool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — a song
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. swing — to play on
  23. current — electric
  24. cap — of ice

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