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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. swing — to play on
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. current — electric
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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