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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: craft · suit · bass · straw · kick · cap · game · bat

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — of ice
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. game — wild animals
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kick — in football
  18. craft — boats
  19. cap — a lid
  20. suit — in cards
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bat — for baseball
  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