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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. toast — bread
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — low music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wind — to turn a key

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