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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cap — a hat
  4. current — electric
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — happening now
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cold — an illness

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