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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ground — a position
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — a lid
  24. craft — boats

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