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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. scale — size or range
  3. craft — a skill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. swing — in golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — a song
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. swing — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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