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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. swing — to play on

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