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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 124 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — boats
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rash — hasty
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — a series
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. swing — to play on
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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