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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bass — low music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stand — to bear
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — goods
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a lid
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — boats
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. nail — on a finger

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