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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a skill
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — wild animals
  8. object — a thing
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — clever
  16. swing — music
  17. pit — a hole
  18. game — a match
  19. object — to protest
  20. tear — to rip
  21. object — an aim
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — in a race

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