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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · chest · craft · pitcher · cue · file · wound · can

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chest — of your body
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a document
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — in golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — a box
  21. can — to be able to
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a signal

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