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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — in sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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