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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: craft · mouse · fan · nail · swing · present · chip · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — a gift
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. swing — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. craft — a skill
  18. present — there
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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