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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. craft — boats
  7. file — a document
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. craft — a skill
  17. present — there
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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