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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ball — a great time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. drill — army training
  13. last — final
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. craft — boats
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ball — a round shape

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