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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — help
  11. field — for sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chip — for betting
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lean — thin

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