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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mate — a partner
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — hasty
  21. craft — boats
  22. swing — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fork — in a road

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