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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · craft · swing · snap · land · track · nail · sharp

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. track — a song
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. swing — to play on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. snap — to click
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. track — to keep track
  16. present — there
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — a gift
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. present — the time now

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