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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 · capital · drill · ball · present · craft · shower · arm

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. present — there
  4. drill — a practice
  5. shower — to wash
  6. swing — to play on
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — army training
  9. shower — rain
  10. present — the time now
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. craft — a skill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — music
  16. present — a gift
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — boats
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ball — a great time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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