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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. file — a tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — a lid
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. file — a document
  11. net — after costs
  12. cap — of ice
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. board — to get on
  15. craft — a skill
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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