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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. suit — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a line of people
  5. court — of law
  6. cap — of ice
  7. last — finally
  8. current — of water
  9. suit — to fit
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. file — a document
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — to go on
  17. suit — clothes
  18. court — for sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. current — electric
  21. court — of a king
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — final
  24. current — happening now

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