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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — music
  7. craft — boats
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — a skill
  14. season — of the year
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — of water
  22. swing — in golf
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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