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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — a hat
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — a lid
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. race — humankind
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — for catching
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. race — the arms race
  14. charge — in control
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. charge — a price
  20. race — a contest
  21. rule — government
  22. cap — of ice
  23. charge — electricity
  24. net — in sport

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