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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. kid — child
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. court — of a king

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