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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. last — final
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — the most important part
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — in sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — in golf
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — a law
  18. craft — a skill
  19. net — after costs
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rule — government

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