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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — a hat
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bass — low music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the fish

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