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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. rock — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — goods
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — happening now
  19. rock — a stone
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spell — magic

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