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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. craft — boats
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. craft — a skill
  24. swing — in golf

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