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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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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: rock · bowl · root · pitcher · cold · cap · bat · craft

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bat — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cold — not warm
  22. root — the cause
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rock — to move gently

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