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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. craft — boats
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — in golf
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — to eat
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — hasty

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