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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. craft — boats
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a great time
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. craft — a skill
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bore — gave birth

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