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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a lid
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — to drop
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — boats
  15. fall — the season
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. perch — the fish
  20. craft — a skill
  21. track — a song
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hand — help

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