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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. scale — in music
  10. craft — boats
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a match
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — to play on
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — animal skin

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