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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. rash — a series
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. chest — a box
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. current — happening now
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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