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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — a skill
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. land — a country
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — the season

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