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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — a short time
  8. swing — in golf
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — to paddle
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spell — magic
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. scale — in music
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — a signal
  24. craft — boats

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