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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. swing — in golf
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. current — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cell — a phone
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. shower — rain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cap — of ice
  24. current — electric

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