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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. press — newspapers
  3. craft — boats
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — to play on
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — in golf
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — low music
  24. craft — a skill

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