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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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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: suit · cell · craft · march · cap · shower · kick · bat

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — of ice
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — rain
  13. march — music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — boats
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. march — the month

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