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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a lid
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — a position
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ground — crushed
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — to play on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — the earth
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — electric
  20. face — to confront
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. row — a line

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