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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · game · shower · jam · cap · craft · track · kick

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. track — a path
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — a hat
  9. club — for dancing
  10. craft — boats
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. track — to keep track
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a match
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. track — a song
  19. kick — in football
  20. cap — of ice
  21. club — a group
  22. game — wild animals
  23. shower — rain
  24. game — a kind of play

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