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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chest — a box
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. craft — boats
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chest — of your body
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — the fish
  16. club — for golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. club — a group
  24. craft — a handicraft

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