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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: chest · racket · arm · current · mug · game · pound · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. chest — a box
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — electric
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — to rob
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. current — of water
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — a weight

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