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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. craft — boats
  3. last — final
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. last — finally
  15. swing — to play on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. spell — a short time
  24. last — to go on

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