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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · last · clip · jam · rock · swing · rush · craft

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. craft — a skill
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rush — hurry
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rock — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — finally

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