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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — a hat
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — an illness
  9. craft — a skill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. track — a song
  22. rash — hasty
  23. track — to keep track
  24. craft — boats

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