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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. craft — boats
  3. cap — a lid
  4. root — of a plant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cap — a hat
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. root — the cause
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cap — of ice
  14. craft — a skill
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for dancing
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. sharp — clever
  24. season — of the year

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