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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cold — an illness
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — not warm
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. swing — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wind — moving air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — boats
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bore — to tire

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