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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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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: wound · last · lie · current · rush · pit · cap · row

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. cap — a lid
  6. current — electric
  7. last — to go on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — happening now
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — finally
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — a line
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — of water

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