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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — letters
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — in music
  11. last — final
  12. spell — magic
  13. swing — to play on
  14. perch — the fish
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. swing — in golf
  21. scale — size or range
  22. last — finally
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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