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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. ball — a great time
  6. charge — in control
  7. craft — boats
  8. charge — a price
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bat — the animal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — a hat
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — a lid
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cap — of ice

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