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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · pitcher · cap · current · snap · face · can · game

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. current — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — to be able to
  11. current — happening now
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to click
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — a tin

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