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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lean — to bend
  13. scale — in music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spring — of water
  19. craft — boats
  20. content — the amount
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. content — happy
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spring — the season

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