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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pass — a permit
  7. current — electric
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. swing — music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bank — for money
  24. craft — a handicraft

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