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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. march — the month
  6. current — electric
  7. last — finally
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — final
  10. march — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — a lid
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. current — of water
  18. last — to go on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wind — to turn a key

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