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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: swing · club · face · march · calf · bound · bat · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — music
  3. march — music
  4. craft — boats
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to confront
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. club — a group
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — part of the head
  17. club — for golf
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. swing — in golf
  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