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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. swing — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bat — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — a contest
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. swing — in golf
  23. race — humankind
  24. deal — to handle

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