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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. firm — steady
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ground — crushed
  5. swing — in golf
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. swing — to play on
  9. firm — decided
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — a position
  20. firm — a company
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — a series

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