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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — a lid
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. craft — boats
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. board — a committee
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. board — to get on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — the season

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