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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. current — of water
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — happening now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — electric
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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