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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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468
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: swing · squash · roll · chest · wake · court · hide · craft

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — a box
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. craft — boats
  8. wake — a trail
  9. court — of a king
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. squash — the sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of law
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — of your body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. roll — a list
  23. court — for sport
  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