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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cap — a hat
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — to play on
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cap — a lid
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. date — the fruit
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. swing — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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