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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — of ice
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. craft — a skill
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ground — a position
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. club — for dancing

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