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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mug — a face
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a cup
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — the 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