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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — of a king
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cap — of ice
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — for sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. ground — crushed
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. key — for a lock
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — the animal
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — boats
  23. ground — the earth
  24. key — in music

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