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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — humankind
  4. face — to point toward
  5. swing — music
  6. current — electric
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — low music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fine — all right
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — happening now
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bat — the animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. current — of water

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