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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ground — the earth
  5. craft — boats
  6. drill — the tool
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cap — a lid
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. net — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. net — for catching
  13. pound — a weight
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cap — of ice
  21. drill — army training
  22. ground — a position
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pound — for dogs

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