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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. current — happening now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — low music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. current — electric
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. swing — to play on

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