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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. season — in sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bass — low music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bass — the fish
  22. last — final
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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