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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 116 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: trunk · pitch · cap · craft · file · lash · snap · face

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. craft — boats
  7. face — part of the head
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — to confront
  10. file — a line of people
  11. craft — a skill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. file — a document
  19. snap — to click
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — of ice

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