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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. current — of water
  5. game — wild animals
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — electric
  12. row — a line
  13. fall — to drop
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — in sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a match
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. patient — a sick person

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