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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — for betting
  14. board — a committee
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — completely
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. board — to get on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — a quarrel

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