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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: sharp · swing · rush · cabinet · cold · craft · game · bulb

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. craft — boats
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — hurry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. craft — a skill
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — music
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — in golf

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