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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: pit · rock · saw · swing · craft · mouse · wake · club

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. club — for golf
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  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