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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a dance
  20. craft — boats
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a lid

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