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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: hand · drill · game · craft · calf · scale · swing · present

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. present — a gift
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. present — there
  9. hand — in cards
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. scale — size or range
  12. craft — a skill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. scale — in music
  16. craft — boats
  17. game — a match
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. present — the time now
  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