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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 124 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. swing — to play on
  5. key — in music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fork — in a road
  10. craft — a skill
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. craft — boats
  15. board — to get on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. board — a committee
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a match
  24. swing — music

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