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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. craft — boats
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — happy
  5. key — in music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. can — a tin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cap — a hat
  14. can — a tin
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — of ice
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. swing — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. swing — in golf
  24. craft — a skill

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