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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rock — music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — music
  16. current — electric
  17. cap — a lid
  18. scale — in music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — a stone

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