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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — to play on
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a song
  13. swing — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bat — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. firm — a company
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. game — a match

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