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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — electricity
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stock — shares
  9. mug — a face
  10. stock — goods
  11. charge — a price
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mug — a cup
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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