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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 I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to click
  3. cap — a lid
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cue — a hint
  7. shower — to wash
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. suit — in cards
  12. shower — rain
  13. craft — boats
  14. cue — for pool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. suit — clothes

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