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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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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: pound · coach · roll · lie · current · cap · stick · kid

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. roll — a list
  5. current — electric
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — happening now
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pound — a weight
  15. kid — child
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — of water
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a cake

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