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

Word bank: cap · cell · craft · lash · rule · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rule — a law
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rule — government
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. craft — a skill

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