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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cap — a hat
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. drill — army training
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — of law
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. track — a path
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — a song
  20. scale — in music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — the tool

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