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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. snap — to click
  3. swing — to play on
  4. net — after costs
  5. craft — a skill
  6. swing — in golf
  7. race — humankind
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. track — a path
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. craft — boats
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — the arms race
  22. track — a song
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — the time now

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