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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — steady
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — tied together
  9. current — of water
  10. firm — a company
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a song
  16. capital — a city
  17. bound — obliged
  18. craft — boats
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — decided

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