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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · ruler · cap · craft · cold · charge

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. craft — a skill
  3. field — farmland
  4. charge — electricity
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — for sport
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. field — a subject
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — in control
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cap — a hat

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