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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. swing — music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a friend
  13. swing — to play on
  14. key — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — child
  19. mate — to breed
  20. swing — in golf
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — the most important part

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