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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — the earth
  9. craft — boats
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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