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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: current · deal · scale · face · craft · swing · rash · game

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. face — to confront
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. scale — in music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. deal — to handle
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — size or range
  23. current — happening now
  24. swing — music

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