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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · chest · march · craft · dip · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. board — a committee
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — the month
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. craft — boats
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. swing — music
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body

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