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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 · craft · clip · deal · object · toast

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. toast — bread
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. swing — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — a video
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — boats
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. object — a thing
  16. swing — in golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. object — an aim

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