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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. swing — in golf
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. craft — boats
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. swing — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — the season
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — to play on
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bulb — for light

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