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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 120 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 so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. swing — to play on
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — of water
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — boats
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. swing — in golf
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — electric
  20. swing — music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — for a bird

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