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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rule — government
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — to visit
  21. craft — boats
  22. rule — a law
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cap — a hat

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