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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. swing — in golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. swing — to play on
  6. roll — a cake
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — rain
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. roll — a list
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. fork — in a road
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pit — in a race

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