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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cap — a hat
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kid — to tease
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. file — a document
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. craft — boats
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — for light
  24. track — a song

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