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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: game · craft · trunk · last · ball · wound · temple · swing

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. game — a match
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ball — a dance
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — to go on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — to play on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. last — final
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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