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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cap — a hat
  3. craft — a skill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. firm — decided
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a document
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. firm — steady
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — to go on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — a lid
  23. last — finally
  24. ball — a round shape

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