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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: saw · race · march · swing · craft · net · stand · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stand — to bear
  7. net — in sport
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. swing — in golf
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — music
  13. craft — boats
  14. race — a contest
  15. march — the month
  16. content — happy
  17. march — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. race — the arms race
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — for catching

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