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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: squash · cap · shower · firm · craft · race · calf · swing

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — a hat
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. firm — a company
  10. squash — to crush
  11. firm — decided
  12. swing — in golf
  13. shower — rain
  14. squash — the sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. swing — to play on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. swing — music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — to wash
  23. race — humankind
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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