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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — a skill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. craft — boats
  20. face — to confront
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — in golf

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