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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cap — of ice
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — letters
  6. craft — boats
  7. capital — money
  8. object — an aim
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spell — magic
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. swing — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — a hat
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lean — to bend
  23. season — of the year
  24. swing — in golf

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