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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: craft · sharp · face · swing · can · ball · rock · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. craft — boats
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — a stone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — to confront
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a dance
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. swing — music

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