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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. craft — boats
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. branch — a division
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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