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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chair — a leader
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — happening now
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — thin
  20. can — a tin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chair — to sit on

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