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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a song
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. track — a path
  15. swing — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — a law

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