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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mate · fan · cap · foot · craft · saw · march · bat

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. march — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. craft — boats
  24. saw — the tool

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