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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to click
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — a measure
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. can — a tin
  24. foot — the bottom

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