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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. swing — music
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — magic
  15. craft — a skill
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. scale — in music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. craft — boats

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