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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — humankind
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — of the year
  5. craft — boats
  6. race — the arms race
  7. swing — in golf
  8. scale — in music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rock — music
  11. race — a contest
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. swing — music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — final
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — to go on
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rock — a stone

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