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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. craft — a skill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stock — shares
  17. shower — rain
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — goods
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. present — there

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