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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. season — in sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. craft — boats
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. band — a music group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. game — a match
  15. craft — a skill
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — goods
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — in golf

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