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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. craft — a skill
  3. roll — a list
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rock — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pass — a permit
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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