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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pop — soda
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pop — music
  10. kid — child
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to click
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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