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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. current — electric
  3. court — for sport
  4. present — there
  5. current — of water
  6. swing — to play on
  7. game — a match
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. present — the time now
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. craft — a skill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — happening now
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — boats

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