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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 120 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: field · snap · pitcher · present · rush · craft · swing · face

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rush — hurry
  7. face — to confront
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — part of the head
  10. swing — in golf
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — to point toward
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. swing — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — to play on

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