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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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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: craft · can · degree · stand · racket · lie · swing · stick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — to recline
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — a tin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stand — to bear
  14. craft — boats
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stand — for spectators

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