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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — the season
  16. present — there
  17. content — happy
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — a gift
  21. craft — boats
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. drill — army training
  24. cap — of ice

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