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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. row — a line
  3. cap — a hat
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — electric
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lie — to recline

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